Our top pick is the OXO On 12-Cup Coffee Brewing System. It’s a large machine – both in footprint and in capacity — but it earned the second-highest scores in our taste test, and is sleek both to look at and to operate. Convenient features like programmable auto-brewing, a removable water reservoir that doubles as a kettle, and a spigot that stops the brew mid-stream if you remove the carafe make this machine feel high tech without being high maintenance. For those who want to be a little more hands-on with the brewing process, its single-button dial also lets you adjust the water’s brewing temperature, giving you more access to experiment with extraction and flavor.

If you're highly particular about how your coffee tastes, you'll want the Behmor Brazen Plus. It was the only drip machine we tested that brewed at the optimal temperature to bring out the best flavor from coffee beans. Getting this perfect brew takes a little more time to set up than most coffee makers require— before starting, you have to calibrate it for the altitude in your area— but overall it's easy to use.
Rancilio Coffee Machine. Great Machine - producing espresso and cappuccino. Or even flat whites, hot chocolate etc. I have had this machine for around four years but stopped using it when I changed to stove top pots. Lovely addition to any kitchen. Comes with original instructions and spares - also complimentary coffee pods. Heavy. Re-listed due to mind changer.
Regardless of whether you buy extra accessories, it's still very affordable, and you're really buying this machine for the espresso. The De'Longhi delivers in that regard. It's a 15 bar machine with a self-priming function, so you don't have to go through the hassle of prepping the machine. The 35oz water tank is removable for cleaning and it has a drip tray to catch spills. and a durable, high-quality stainless steel boiler to ensure many years of delicious espresso.
Let’s circle back to that extra-long brew time. There are two factors that didn’t make it an automatic “no” for us. The first is that the OXO On 12-Cup is programmable. Like our experts say, grinding coffee in advance isn’t going to make the most perfect cup of coffee. But the fact that you can program the machine’s “wake-up time” to start brewing and have coffee ready when you are takes the sting out of the wait.

CR’s take: This unassuming, inexpensive Hamilton Beach coffee maker might be easy to miss, but it can brew a mean cup of joe at a fantastic price. In a basic black-plastic finish, it has the essentials—it’s programmable and offers auto-shutoff—and it offers solid brew performance in a decent time frame (10 minutes). Hamilton Beach machines even earned a Very Good rating for predicted reliability. At around $25, this simple model will get the job done.

So while yes, $150 (current price as I review this item) is a good chunk of change, I honestly believe it’s worth it. This is a high-quality machine that will hopefully last a very, very long time. The quality of the espresso is very good, and in the long run, it will save you the cost of espresso-based drinks at the coffee shop. It all evens out in the end! If you are considering buying this, my advice is to just do it. It’s worth it! Love love love!”
The tall tower is fixed on a rectangular base, with a water tank that looks something akin to a trapezoid. The hard plastic funnel allows your favorite paper filters to fit inside of it. It is recommended that you use type 4 paper filters, however. You also have the option to use permanent gold filters if you want to move away from reoccurring costs.​
I was throwing down $4 on each cup, five times a week — that's over $1,000 a year. A few years ago, a friend from Austria — they really know coffee over there — introduced me to a single-serve coffee maker that could produce a super high-quality cup of coffee in less than one minute. I was dubious when he handed me the drink at his home, but I took a sip and was blown away by how good it tasted.
Inspired by professional machines, this high-end coffee and espresso maker is designed to be simple to use. It has an intuitive touchscreen and a sleek design with an aluminum finish that will look good on display in your kitchen. All it takes is the touch of a button to produce cappuccino or latte comparable to your favorite coffee shop, or you can produce warm milk froth or hot water for your hot chocolate or other drinks.

I was throwing down $4 on each cup, five times a week — that's over $1,000 a year. A few years ago, a friend from Austria — they really know coffee over there — introduced me to a single-serve coffee maker that could produce a super high-quality cup of coffee in less than one minute. I was dubious when he handed me the drink at his home, but I took a sip and was blown away by how good it tasted.

It scored the highest in our out-of-the-box taste test, brewing coffee our tasters described as “light” with subtle notes of blueberry, citrus, cherry, tobacco, and hazelnut. The machine simply brews great coffee, and it takes its job seriously. If you’re interested in playing around with the flavor and extraction of your roast, the Behmor Brazen gives you more access to more variables. You can adjust water temperature, play with pre-infusion times (15 seconds to four minutes) — it even has you enter your altitude to better determine water’s boiling point, and calibrate its internal thermometer during setup.

Rancilio Coffee Machine. Great Machine - producing espresso and cappuccino. Or even flat whites, hot chocolate etc. I have had this machine for around four years but stopped using it when I changed to stove top pots. Lovely addition to any kitchen. Comes with original instructions and spares - also complimentary coffee pods. Heavy. Re-listed due to mind changer.

Here at the Strategist, we like to think of ourselves as crazy (in the good way) about the stuff we buy (like pillows), but as much as we’d like to, we can’t try everything. Which is why we have People’s Choice, in which we find the best-reviewed (that’s four-to-five-star reviews and lots of ‘em) products and single out the most convincing. While we’ve written about coffee machines, coffee grinders, even gifts for coffee lovers, here, we’ve gone deep on the best espresso machines on Amazon, according to the people. (Note that reviews have been edited for length and clarity.)

We’re the largest online retailer of espresso machines and it’s no secret why. We love coffee. We love that first sip in the morning, the one that you’ve got to fight to get to your mouth because 8 hours of sleep seems like a pipe dream. We love that rush, when the caffeine kicks in and you know that you’ve got the day in the palm of your hand. We love the art – brewing, roasting, tasting – and the journey that each coffee drinker takes in search of their perfect joe. We’ve been sharing that love with the world since 1997 and we hope you’ll pull up a cup and join us in celebration of nature’s most perfect beverage, coffee!

Why not have it all in one machine? Unleash your inner barista while creating smooth drip coffee, traditional espresso or perfect cappuccinos at home with ease. The accuflavor selector lets you choose the strength of coffee just the way you like it. Bring the rich flavour of coffee beans to life with the patented Flavor Savor™ brewing system that fully saturates coffee for a full, robust taste. Our advanced water filtration system optimizes the taste of your coffee by eliminating any unpleasant flavors caused by chlorine.

CR’s take: Our highest-rated drip brewer with an insulated, thermal carafe, the Ninja Bar Brewer CF085 has plenty to recommend it. CR’s testers find that it offers superb brew performance and is very easy to use. In our member surveys, Ninja drip coffee makers received an Excellent rating for owner satisfaction. (We don’t yet have enough data to judge reliability.) This model has a full suite of features, including an unusual over-ice brew mode for making iced coffee. Ninja claims its thermal carafe will keep coffee hot for 2 hours, and the machine comes with a milk frother and a standalone French-press brewer. These features come at a price, of course; the Ninja Bar Brewer is the second most expensive model on this list.